Before we gain the right to dispose of the old “symbols” we must understand that the real tragedy of Christianity is not its “compromise” with the world and progressive “materialism,” but on the contrary, its “spiritualization” and transformation into “religion.” And religion—as we know already—has thus come to mean a world of pure spirituality, a concentration of attention on matters pertaining to the “soul.” Christians were tempted to reject time altogether and replace it with mysticism and “spiritual” pursuits, to live as Christians out of time and thereby escape its frustrations; to insist
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